Hornqvist has strong practice

The Predators held their final full practice Thursday before facing Chicago in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It was a little lighter than practices earlier in the week and special teams continued to be stressed. The Predators were scheduled to leave Nashville for Chicago at 2 p.m. A few notes …

Hornqvist feeling great: Patric Hornqvist (upper body) participated in his second consecutive full practice and was flying around the ice. “If you’re a little hurt, a couple days more is better than a couple days less,” Hornqvist said. “It’s just the hours you get to heal everything. It’s good we play Friday.”

Denis Grebeshkov (lower body) also continued to practice. He likely won’t play in Game 1 but could be called upon in Game 2.

Been a long time: The last time Nashville and Chicago played was on Dec. 27. For some of the Predators, it feels like it’s been a couple of years. The team spent the week breaking down film and dissecting the Blackhawks, but Chicago is not much different than the team Nashville faced nearly four months ago.

“They’re skilled, high speed and a great transition team,” forward David Legwand said. “That’s something we got to shut down, get pucks deep and play a full hockey game. It’s something we have to exploit and work with.”

(Look for more on Legwand in Friday’s Tennessean as he discusses welcoming a fresh start in the playoffs after scoring only 11 goals in the regular season.)

Trotz on Chicago: Here are a few comments from Coach Barry Trotz following Thursday’s practice …

On Chicago …

“The one thing they do really well is play the speed and transition game. They don’t have to spend a lot of time grinding it out. They are a very good cycle team. They make plays, real quick plays and have a lot of interchanges with their defense. They interchange a lot, especially when they get into what we call a high cycle. What they do is almost activate from the top of the circles and their D will jump through, then cross to the other side then a guy comes up top. They try to use a little bit of deception with their defense. Because of their skill level and puck possession, they’re able to get some people free and gain some space.”

On all the one-goal games Wednesday night …

“Every team is prepared and are really, I would say, dedicated to get their individual responsibilities achieved as well as their collective responsibilities achieved. You look at the games, special teams, pucks hit the net, traffic, grinding, and crashing-the-net types of goals. Last night, I don’t know the total goals that were scored, but I would say, if I were a betting man, I would say at least 90% of them were on the power play or crashing-the-net type of goals. And that’s what the playoffs are.”